Mower.



Patented lune n, |901. c; w. HARRIS. r

M 0 WE B.

(Applicatin filed Tune 8, 1899.)

(No Model.)

@wwwa-5 W/TNESSES Patented june", 19m.y c. w. HARRIS.

MDWEB., (Appumog med zum s, 1899.)

3 Sheets-#Sheet 2,

(No Model.)

A rra/msx No. 676,230.- Patented' lune |901.l

c. w. HARRIS.

' MOWER.

@Application filed June 8, M399.) (No-Modal.) Y 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

ATTORNEY,

me Molins muy da. muro-mno.. lmnmou. n. u

UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

'CHARLES-w. HARRIS, or SALEM, CONNECTICUT.

MowEa.

SPECIFICAQJIQN forming part of Letters Patent N o. 676,230, dated June 11, 1901.

Application inea June 8,1899. seria No. 719,747. or@ model.)

To tZZ whom, it ntcty concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES W. HARRIS, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Salem, in the county of New London and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mowers, of which the following 'is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of this invention is to provide a mowing-machineembodyingcertainimprovements in minor details of construction to the end that the machine shall be simplified as a whole and very readily operated.

To assist in the explanation of my invention, the accompanying drawings have been provided, which illustrate the same, as follows:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, Fig. 2 a plan View, and Fig. 3 a front elevation,of my newlyimproved `mower. Fig. 4 shows my mower principally in horizontal central section, the sectional portion of said view being taken on the line 3 3. Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate, partly in vertical section and partly in elevation, certain mechanism of the mower and the manner in which it operates.. Fig. 7 is a plan view of a portion of the knife mechanism. Fig. 8 is a sectional view thereof, taken on the line 7 7; and Fig. E) is a plan view of the under side ot' said mechanism. Fig. 10 is an elevation of the shoe that supports the outer end of the knife. Fig. 11 illustrates in plan the inner end of the knife mechanism. Fig. 12 shows in elevation the manner in which said knife mechanism operates,yand Fig. 13 illustrates the manner of assembling certain elements of said mechanism. Fig. 14 illustrates, principally in elevation, the manner in which the wheels of the mower are mounted upon the axle.

Referring to the drawings, the number 10 denotes a'casting of substantially cylindrical shape, which is supported horizontally' between the mower-wheels 11 and 12`upon the axle 13. The casting 10 is bored centrally throughout its length, as at 10', to receive the said axle and at each end is provided with a countersunk recess 10 to receive collars 14 14'; which latter when in position are secured to the axle 13, thus preventing endwise movement thereof lbut interfering in no way with its revolution. .The mower-wheels 11 and 12 are retained in position on the axleby means of caps 14a, which are secured to the ends of the axle and receive within themselves the outer ends of the hubs 11 of the wheels, thus serving not only to retain the wheels in position, but also to exclude alldust and dirt which might otherwise work in and clog the wheels. The wheels 11 and 12 are loosely mounted upon the axle 13; but means are provided whereby said wheels under certain conditions are locked to the axle and cause it to A revolve with themselves.

cess in the face of the collars 14 14', adjacent the hubs 11' ofthe wheels 1l and 12. In the bottom of each recess a ratchet-wheel 15 is secured concentric to the axle 13, which latterpasses therethrough, as shown in Figs. 4 and 14. The otherwise open end of the recess 14b is closed by the reception in such ends of a boss 11, formed on the hubs 11 of the mower-wheels. 1 Each boss 11a has secured to its face one or more spring-pressed `pawls 16, which engage the ratchets 15, and

when the wheels 11 and 12 are revolved by the forward travel of the mower said pawls serve to revolve the ratchets 15 and the colsecured, said collars in turn being secured to the axle 13, thereby effecting the revolution of the said axle. Upon the rearward movement of the mower, however, the pawls 16 ride idly over their ratchets 15 and no motion is imparted to the axle 13 or mechanism controlled thereby. The pawl-and-ratchet mechanisms just described being located in the countersunk recesses 14h, whose outer IOO lars 14 14', to which they are respectively" with the wheel 41 2 when the mower is traveli ing forward or allowing it` to remain stationf' ary when the said wheel is traveling inthe opposite direction. The internal'gear 17 is provided to drive a shaft 18, located somewhat forward of the axle 13 and. extending 'llel therewith, which said shaft 18, might i' vrme'd Athe cain-'shafw'of lmy machine. lfe laidin' driving the cam-shaft 18, the latter airs apinio'n 19, that is mounted loosely jeen, upon its end adjacent the wheel12, the said pinien'19 meshing-withlthe internal f ear v17 Ne'ar its opposite end the cams'haft '11"8 bears a serpentine-groove cani v2O, which ferme an important element of the knifef dfving'mechanism ofthe mower. To sup- Aprert the cam-shaft 18, the cylindrical casting I Qis provided nearits end adjacent the wheel k2 ,witha projection' 10", preferably of jour- 'wb'ox fform, in which the saidfshaft 18, or i therfa vsleeve `19,'secured to the pin-ion 19, the said box being provided with an ordi aryihinged cover 10.

` which thecam 20-is inclosed vby means of a cover 10e, hinged to the casting 10, as shown inthe drawings- 40 bearings formed in the same, or the end et' saidlsiiaft adjacent the cam 20 maybe suptedin the manner shown in the drawings' '.li'erein'atter described'.

camshaft-18 or upon the end of the sleeve19,

" the other end. of which sleeve has secured theretoY or formed therein the loose section 21 efaelutchVwhosesplinedsection 21 is adapted to revolve with the cam-shaft 18.

" 22,hung midway its length to aV projection "limonv the cylindricalvf'rame 10, thelower en d g ove v21a in the clutch-section 2l', the np- 1end of the lever being withineasy reach sis ' th'e'driver, so that it :may be operated to 'threw' the splined'clutch-section either into out of engagementwith the loose (driving) section, and'thns cause the shaft 18 to beA 6o 'idriven'by the pinion 19 or allow said shaft to remain stationary while the said pinio'n andthe looecl`utch-section continue'to revolve.

`I`n'A the accompanying drawings Ihave shown w i `The shaft 18'passes through.. the side walls of the box 10d and is supportedL length.

i The said 1 59 splixied clutch-section is controlled by a-lever' Yo s aid lever bearing a pin 22, which engages f but such Vfeature is not essential to the successt'ul working of my machine and is shown in the case of the cam-shaft only.

When roller-bearings are provided for the camshaft18,the sleeve 19', having at one end the pinion 19 and at the opposite end the clutch-section 21, is preferably of somewhat increaseddiameter between the pinion and clutch-section,and the j ust-mentioned portion of the sleeve lies within the said box 10b, be-

ing surrounded by a ring of rolls 19, seated in a suitable recessl in the said box 10 and its'cove'r 10c. Theend of the shaft 18, bearing the cam 20, projects through the box 10d and into a chamber provided by securinga cap 23 to the outer sidewallofthe s aid box 10d, ad jacent to the wheelV 11. lThe said chamber is concentric with :theshattll and surrounding the end of thelatteris aring of rolls 19a, engaging the circumferential `face of the end of the shat'tand theinnerwall of the chamber, this feature of providing a roller-bearing for the cam-.shaftlS beingbest shown in Fig. 4L of the drawings. `l`n Vprder to reduce friction Astill more than would be accomplished yby the rollers 19 themselves, said rolls midway their `length are of lreduced diameter, as at `19", andthe `(':oincidin g points of the shaft 1-8 and sleeve 19' may, igtdesired, becorrespondingly reduced in diameter, thus making rthe points of contact between the shaft and sleeve and theirrolls sosmallas to i do Yaway almost entirely with any friction A tfits'end'adjacent the wheel 11 the cast` 35 ing 10 l`has a box v10df`formed thereon, within that might otherwise be present. {Eliis feature of reducing the diameter of theshaft 18 Y I, arm 24, that reaches nearly to the ground Elihe pinibn -19is loosely mounted upon the4 and upon the front face of which a lever25 is pivoted approximately centrally of its The upper endof thelever 25 bears a pin 25', that passes throughasloter other opening? in the Ybox `10d and .s o that on the inner end of said pin a rol-125, carriedthereon, may lie in the grooveofthe camQO. The

cover 10e, which closes the box 10d, preferably overlaps said box somewhat andreceives within a chamber 2451provided in said cover, the upper end ot` the lever 25, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, thus protecting the said vupper end of the lever-from dirt and injury. The lower end of the lever 25 is secured by suitable connectionto theknife-bar of the mower, as hereinafter described, and it will now be readily understood from the drawings that when the cam 2O is in revolution the lever 25 will be caused to rock upon its pivotal support, and the lower end thereof, connected with the knife-bar, will ymove the latter with the desired reciprocating motion.

. in advance of its axle to the `forward end of ,au arm 27", leading from a point near the lower end of the downwardly-extending portion 27 of the beam 27, such manner of securing the wheel 28 allowing the same to follow freely the direction of travel of the mower and to adjust itself readily to any change in the direction of such travel. The arm 27@L extends horizontally grassward a suiiicient distance from the downwardly-extending portion 27 to bring the small wheel 28 nearly on a line with the inner edge of the inner driving-wheel 11. This wheel 28 is thus brought directly in front of the plate 30 and opposite the front end of the cutter-bar, where it runs along the ground on the edge of the uncut grain when the machine is passing over the groundwhich has already been cut. This wheel serves as a guide for the driver, and at the same time it helps to support the inner end of the cutting apparatus.

The reference-number 30 denotes a plate that is pivotally secured to the lower ends of the arm 24 and the beam portion 27. To thus support the plate 30, it is provided on its upper side adjacent the lower end -of the arm 24 with lugs 30', between which a block 3l is pivotally secured by means of a pin 32, lying in a plane parallel with the axle of the mower. Somewhat above the pin 32 the block 3l is in turn pivotally secured to the lower end of the arm 24 by means of a pin 34. Located in the plate 30, adjacent to the lower end of the beam portion 27', is a pin 35, having a right-angular extension 35 at its upper end, which extension is approximately in line with the axial center of the pin 34, andthe end of said pin portion 35 is adapted to rest in the bottom`of a groove 27h, formed in the face of the beam portion 27/ confronting the arm 24. The pins 34 and 35 serve to support the plate 30 at a slight Aelevation from the ground, and under conditions hereinafter recited the said plate 30 may be rocked upon its points of support. Extending from the plate 30 is an arm 30,`whose length is determined by the width of cut of the mower, the outer end of which arm is supported by a shoe 36, which latter is retained at preferably a slight elevation above the ground by means of a wheel or ball 37, adjustably secured thereto. The bar 30a provides a support for the knifeguard, which is made up of the required number of fingers 38. The said guard-fingers 38 have portions 38 formed thereon, extending at right angles .to the length of the fingers,

which said portions 38' are in alinement with each other and form one wall of a raceway whose opposite wall is composed of the confrontingface of the har` 30a, the bottonr of the raceway being provided by the guard-finger portions adjacent thebar 30"'. The raceway just described is continued across the plate 30 by a groove 30b and receives within itself a bar 39, which is adapted to travel reciprocally to impart like motion to the knife 40, which latter is secured to the upper side of the said bar and is adapted to travel through slots 38a in the guard-fingers 38. To retain the bar 39 in its seat in the raceway, a number of plates 30c are secured to the bar 30a in such manner as to overlap somewhat the knife 40, and thus prevent displacement of the latter and of the bar 39.

The inner end of the knife 40 bears a lug 40', (or such lug could be as well secured to any suitable element moving with the knife,) and to the said lug 40' there is pivotally secured a disk 41, having two projections 41 extending therefrom, that receive between them the lower end of the lever 25, the latter being secured by means of a pin 4l, located therein and passing through a slot 25a in the lever 25. It will now be readily seen that when the lever 25 is set in motion by the cam 20, as already described, said lever by reason of its connection with the knife-bar 40 will cause the latter to travel with a reciprocating motion, the said knife acting in the usual manner to cut the grass between the guardfingers 38.

The pole 42 of my mower forms a' continuationof a tongue 43, to which tongue it is suitably secured, the tongue being hinged to the top side of the cylindrical casting lO about midway the length of said casting. Near the hinged end of the tongue a post 44 is located, bearing on its upper end the mower-seat 45. The frame 2G has secured thereto beneath the pole 42 an eye 46, to which the inner end of a rod 47 is hooked, the outer end of which rod rests in a link 48, secured to the pole 42, and said outer end has secured thereto the draft-equalizer 49, which bears at each end the whiifletrees 50, such construction having a tendency to slightly lift the knife mechanism when the machine is being drawn along, afeature which in practice is found desirable.

In connection with mowing-machines of this class it is desirable that mechanism be provided whereby the outer or inner ends of the knife may be independently raised when it is desired to pass over stones or other obstructions and also means whereby the knife may be adjusted to cut at desired distances from the ground, and the manner in which I accomplish these results in my newly-improved machine I will now explain.

To enable the raising of the outer end of the knife mechanism, I have provided on the block 31 a projection 3l', which latter' has pivotally secured thereto the lower end of a IIO y rod 51, which passes upward through the plate 5l'.

tongue 43 and bearsupon its upper end, within easyY reach of the foot of the driver, a Upon the downward pressure of the foot-plate just mentioned the rod 51 is caused to correspondingly travel downward, thus rocking the block 3l andthe plate 30, to which it is secured by the pin 32, the

Whenthe cutting mechanism is not desired 'A for use, but the machine is in motion, as in traveling along the road, the knife and connected elements may be rocked upward into an approximately vertical position, in which position they may be secured .in any suitablev manner. e

,'-I'o accomplish theraising of the inner end Vof the mower-knife, l have provided lthe followingdescribed means: Pivotally secured to a ange 52, located on the tongue 42, is a lever 53, the upper end of which is within easy reach of the driverand whose'lower end has secured thereto a curved grooved arm 53', eXtendin g forward and downward and having secured in said groove one end of a chain 54,

whose opposite end is secured to the beam portion 27'. Connected to this grooved arm 53 and to the ange 52 is a spring 56' for the purposegof assisting to throw the lever back into position after rhaving been thrown to the position shown in Fig. 6. As the'lever 53 is moved forward from the driver for the purpose of lowering the cutter-bar and the parts connected thereto the spring 56 expands, and when drawn Aback the contract-ion of the `springassists in drawing the lever back into position. When it is desired toraise the inner end of the knife, the lever 53 `is drawn rearward, such action resulting in rocking the arm 53' to` draw upward the chain 54, which in turn rocks upward the forward end of the-beam 27, said beam rocking upon the axle 13 and lifting the wheel 2S clear of the ground, (see Fig. '6,) as well also as the plate 30, it being understood, of course, that the knife mechanismrlocated on said plate will be correspondingly raised,while the outer end of the knife will remain in contact with the ground through the ball 37. Upon the release of the lever 53 the various parts are returnedby gravity to their normal positions. Any suitable locking mechanism may be provided for retaining the lever '53 in its rearward position, the drawings showing mechanism for this purpose consisting of a pawl 55, hung upon the lever 52 and connected by a link 55 with an angle-lever 55, located near theupper end of the lever 53. The vsaid pawl 55 is adapted to engage the teeth of a segmental ratchet formed on the Iiange 52 and is held normally in engagement with said teeth by means of a spring, (not shown g) but upon the proper manipulation of the angle-lever 55a the pawl 55 is withdrawn from engagement with the ratchetteeth to permit the lever 53 to rock forward. The mechanism provided for regu'- `lating the height ofthe cutting portion of the knife is also controlled by means of a lever, the same being denoted by the reference number 57 and being hung upon a ange 53, lo-` cated on the beam 27. rhe lever 57 has seL curedto its lower end a 'right-angular arm 57', to the end of lwhich the upper end of a link 59 is secured, whoselower end is hooked beneath the portion 35' of the pin 35, which forms one of the pivotal supportsof the plate 30.. When the lever 57 is rocked rearward, such action results in drawing thelink 59 upward, the latter carrying the pin portion 35' upward in the slot 27", in which it is located. `To permit the upward travel of the pin 35, the plate 30 'rocks upward 4upon its supporting-piu 32, as shown Ain dotted lines in Fig. 5, and it will be readily understood thatwhen thus rocked upward the cutting portion of the knife will be correspondingly raised, the outer end of the knife mechanism during such operation rocking upon the ballsupport 37 of the shoe 36. anism for raising the outer and inner ends of the cutting knife, the cutting mechanism is -returned by gravity toits normal position upon the release of the lever 57.

Suitable locking mechanism is provided for retaining the lever 57 in any position to which it may Ahave been rocked, the mechanism of the drawings showing the flange 5S provided with notches 58', to interlock with which the lever 57 carries a spring-actuated bolt 60, connected by a link 60 with an angle-lever 60, located near the upper end of .the lever 57, said angle-lever being rocked towithdraw the bolt 60' from engagement with the notches 53' whenvit is desired to swing the lever 57, and said bolt being allowed to enter the proper notch to hold the lever in the position to which it may have been rocked, a spring 60b being provided to retain the bolt 60 from accidental displacement.

Having thus described my invention, I claiml. In a mower, the beam 27, 27 extending forwardly and downwardly from the framework, the arm 27a extending horizontally outwardly and forwardly from the part 27 of the beam, combined with the wheel 28, and the pivoted frame in which the wheel is j ournaled, and which is connected to the front end of the arm 27a, whereby the wheel is left free to follow the movements of the machine, said wheel being placed about on aline with the inner edge of the driving-wheel 11, substantially as shown.

As in the mechwhich mechanism is mounted upon the tongue Io 2, substantially as described.

Signed at Norwich, Connecticut, this 29th day of May, 1899.

CHARLES W. HARRIS.

Witnesses: FRANK H. ALLEN,

ALONZO M. LUTHER. 

